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Office of Fair and Safe Work Queensland

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• 1. Introduction
• 2. The Electrical Safety Act 2002
• 3. The Electrical Safety Regulation 2002
  • 3.1 Part 2 – Electrical work
  • 3.2 Part 4 - Working around electrical parts
  • 3.3 Part 5 - Electrical installations
  • 3.4 Part 8 - Electrical supply
  • 3.5 Part 12 - Incident notification
  • 3.6 Part 13 - Miscellaneous provisions
  • 3.7 Schedule 2 - Exclusion zones
• 4. Risk management
• 5. Working de-energised
  • 5.1 Scope
  • 5.2 Regulatory requirement
  • 5.3 General
  • 5.4 Low voltage isolation and access
  • 5.5 High voltage isolation and access
• 6. Working live
  • 6.1 Scope
  • 6.2 Regulatory requirement
  • 6.3 Important issues when working live
  • 6.4 What to use to work safely
  • 6.5 Testing and fault-finding
• Appendix A
• Appendix B
  • 1 Common sources of electrical hazards
  • 2 Other electrical hazards to be addressed
  • 3 General elements of a safe system of work

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3.2 Part 4 – Working around electrical parts

3.2.1 Division 1 – Preliminary
3.2.2 Division 2 – Requirements for working around electrical parts
3.2.3 Division 3 – Consultation with persons in control or electrical lines

3.2.1 Division 1 – Preliminary

Section 58 – Purpose of pt 4

1. This part prescribes a way of discharging the electrical safety obligation of an employer or self-employed person to ensure that the person’s business or undertaking is conducted in a way that is electrically safe.
2. In particular, this part prescribes requirements about persons performing work in contact with, or near to, electrical parts.

Section 59 – Definitions for pt 4

In this part –

"authorised person", for an electrical part, means a person who:

1. has enough technical knowledge and experience to do work that involves contact with, or being near to, the electrical part; and
2. has been approved by the person in control of the electrical part to do work that involves contact with, or being near to, the electrical part, or is authorised to act for the person in control of the electrical part.

"direct contact" see section 60.

"electrical part" means:

1. an exposed part; or
2. an overhead insulated electric line.

"exclusion zone" see section 61.

"handling" includes any of the following:

1. carrying;
2. connected to, whether or not temporarily;
3. controlling;
4. holding; and
5. lifting.

"instructed person", for an electrical part, means a person who is acting under the supervision of an authorised person for the electrical part.

"operating plant", means plant being operated for its intended purpose, unless the operation of the plant can not materially affect the distance between the plant and any electrical part in relation to which there is an exclusion zone under this part.

Examples of operating plant:

• A tip truck tipping a load
• A fixed crane operating at a building site
• A vehicle that includes an elevated work platform being used for clearing vegetation from around overhead electric lines
• A concrete pumping truck pumping concrete
• A harvester with height changeable attachments being used to transfer grain to a truck

Example of plant that is not operating plant:

• A furniture removal van under an electric line raising or lowering the electrically or hydraulically operated platform located at the rear of the van, if neither the platform nor anything on the platform rises above the roof of the van.

"untrained person", for an electrical part, means a person who is not an authorised person or an instructed person for the electrical part.

"work" means work of any type, whether or not electrical work, other than live work or electrical welding performed in accordance with a safe system of work.

Section 60 – Meaning of "direct contact"

1. A person is in "direct contact" with an electrical part if:
   1. the person is touching the electrical part with the person’s bare hands or another bare part of the person’s body;
   2. the person is touching a conductive object with the person’s bare hands or another bare part of the person’s body, and the conductive object is touching the electrical part;
   3. an article of clothing worn by the person is touching the electrical part; or
   4. an article of clothing worn by the person is touching a conductive object, and the conductive object is touching the electrical part.
2. Operating plant is in "direct contact" with an electrical part if:
   1. any part of the operating plant is touching the electrical part; or
   2. anything the operating plant is handling is touching the electrical part.
3. A vehicle is in "direct contact" with an electrical part if:
1. any part of the vehicle is touching the electrical part; or
2. anything being carried or otherwise handled by the vehicle is touching the electrical part.

Section 61 – Meaning of "exclusion zone"

1. The "exclusion zone", for a person for an electrical part, or for operating plant or a vehicle for an electrical part, means the distance from the part stated for the person, plant or vehicle in schedule 2.
2. For applying schedule 2 to a person, the person includes any article of clothing worn by the person, and any conductive object the person is holding or carrying.
3. For applying schedule 2 to operating plant, the operating plant includes anything the operating plant is handling.
4. For applying schedule 2 to a vehicle, the vehicle includes anything the vehicle is carrying or otherwise handling.
5. For applying schedule 2 to operating plant operated by an authorised person or instructed person who does not have a safety observer or another safe system as required under the schedule, the authorised person or instructed person must be taken to be an untrained person.
6. However, the exclusion zone, for an electrical part, for operating plant operated by an authorised person or instructed person for the electrical part, is taken to be the same as the exclusion zone for an authorised person or instructed person for the electrical part if:
   1. the operating plant is fitted with a device capable of stopping the operation of the operating plant immediately the operating plant is at the exclusion zone for an authorised person or instructed person for the electrical part;
   2. there is in place a safe system of work for the use of the operating plant;
   3. the safe system of work has been developed in consultation with persons who are broadly representative of industrial organisations of employees whose members commonly operate operating plant of the operating plant’s type; and
   4. without limiting paragraph (b), the safe system of work ensures the device mentioned in paragraph (a):
      i. is operating properly; and
      ii. is set for at least the correct exclusion zone distance.
7. A reference in schedule 2 to a vehicle does not include a reference to:
   1. an aircraft; or
   2. a vehicle that is operating plant.
      Examples for paragraph (b):
      • A tip truck tipping a load would not be a vehicle for schedule 2. However, a tip truck travelling between sites would be a vehicle for schedule 2
      • A vehicle that includes an elevated work platform being used for clearing vegetation would not be a vehicle for schedule 2. However, when the platform is not being used for clearing vegetation, the vehicle would be a vehicle for schedule 2.
8. For applying schedule 2 to operating plant, a reference to ‘another safe system’ is a reference to a system of work that:
   1. has been developed in consultation with persons who are broadly representative of industrial organisations of employees whose members commonly operate operating plant of the operating plant’s type; and
   2. provides, for persons and property, the same level of electrical safety as, or a greater level of electrical safety than, the level of electrical safety provided with a safety observer.

3.2.2 Division 2 – Requirements for working around electrical parts

Section 62 – Employer or self-employed person to ensure work is performed in accordance with requirements

1. An employer or self-employed person must ensure that work performed in the conduct of the person’s business or undertaking does not involve, except in accordance with the requirements of this division -
   1. a person coming into direct contact with an electrical part;
   2. any operating plant or vehicle coming into direct contact with an electrical part;
   3. a person coming within the exclusion zone for the person for an electrical part; or
   4. any operating plant or vehicle coming within the exclusion zone for the operating plant or vehicle for an electrical part.

      Maximum penalty – 40 penalty units.

2. Subsection (1)(a) does not apply to a person if:
   1. the person is an authorised person or instructed person for the electrical part; and
   2. the electrical part is a low voltage over head insulated electric line.
3. Subsection (1)(b) and (d) does not apply to operating plant if:
1. the operating plant is being operated by an authorised person or instructed person for the electrical part;
2. a safety observer is being used; and
3. the electrical part is a low voltage over head insulated electric line.

Section 63 – Work involving direct contact with electrical part

1. Work may be per formed involving a person coming into direct contact with an electrical part if the electrical part is:
   1. isolated from all sources of electricity;
   2. tested to ensure it is, or otherwise confirmed to be, isolated from all sources of electricity; and
   3. if the electrical part is a high voltage electrical part-earthed.
2. Subsection (1)(b) does not apply as a requirement if:
1. the electrical part can not be directly contacted to prove isolation from all sources of electricity;
2. there is in place an earthing switch that is able to control the operation of the electrical part and is designed to operate safely if the electrical part has not been isolated from all sources of electricity; and
3. the work is being performed in the business or undertaking of an employer, and the employer has given written instructions to the person performing the work that, if complied with, will be effective to isolate the electrical part from all sources of electricity.

Section 64 – Work within exclusion zone for electrical part

1. Work may be performed involving a person, operating plant or a vehicle coming within the exclusion zone for the person, operating plant or vehicle for an electrical part, other than by coming into direct contact with the electrical part, if the electrical part is:
   1. isolated from all sources of electricity; and
   2. tested to ensure it is, or otherwise confirmed to be, isolated from all sources of electricity; and
   3. if the electrical part is a high voltage electrical part-earthed.
2. However, if it is not practicable for subsection (1)(b) to be complied with, the work may nevertheless be performed if:
   1. the work can be performed safely;
   2. if the work is being performed in the business or undertaking of an employer-the employer has given written instructions, either generally or directed at the particular circumstances, about the work to be performed and the precautions to be complied with; and
   3. at least 1 of the following applies:
   • suitable barriers or earthed metal shields are installed between the person, operating plant or vehicle and the electrical part;
   • the work is testing, and the electrical part, or an item of electrical equipment of which the electrical part is a component, is designed in a way requiring the work to be performed while the person, operating plant or vehicle is within the exclusion zone for the person, operating plant or vehicle for the electrical part;
   • the work is earthing of the electrical part, or an item of electrical equipment of which the electrical part is a component, and is performed after the electrical part or item of electrical equipment has been isolated and proved to be de-energised.

3.2.3 Division 3 – Consultation with persons in control of electrical lines

Section 64A – Requirement to consult

1. This section applies if:
   1. work is to be performed in the conduct of the business or undertaking of an employer or self-employed person; and
   2. despite the requirements of section 62, there is a reasonable likelihood the performance of the work could involve -
   • a person coming into direct contact with an overhead electric line;
   • operating plant or a vehicle coming into direct contact with an overhead electric line;
   • a person coming within the exclusion zone for the person for an overhead electric line; or
   • operating plant or a vehicle coming within the exclusion zone for the operating plant or vehicle for an overhead electric line.
2. The employer or self-employed person must give the person in control of the overhead electric line written notice of the employer or self-employed person’s intention to perform the work.

   Maximum penalty – 40 penalty units.

3. The person in control of the overhead electric line must, within 7 days after receiving the written notice under subsection (2), give the employer or self-employed person a safety advice about the performance of the work.

   Maximum penalty – 40 penalty units.

4. The employer or self-employed person must not allow the work to be started before the employer or self-employed person has received the safety advice from the person in control of the overhead electric line, unless the employer or self-employed person has a reasonable excuse.

   Maximum penalty – 40 penalty units.

5. In this section:
   
   "safety advice" about the performance of work in the conduct of the business or undertaking of an employer or self-employed person, means a written notice advising how, as well as complying with this regulation, the employer or self-employed person can best ensure the electrical safety of persons and property in the performance of the work.

Examples of what might be included in a safety advice -

• Advice recommending de-energising the overhead electric line while the work is being performed, and explaining how this can be arranged.
• Advice recommending relocating the overhead electric line or replacing the overhead electric line with an underground cable, and explaining how this can be arranged.
• Advice recommending erecting physical barriers to enclose the overhead electric line, and explaining how this can be arranged.

A penalty unit has a dollar value determined by the Queensland Department of Justice and Attorney-General. At the date of publication, the value of a penalty unit was $100. Under the Penalties and Sentences Act 1992, if a corporation is found guilty of an offence, the Court may impose a maximum fine of an amount equal to 5 times the maximum fine for an individual.

Last updated July 16, 2009

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© The State of Queensland (Department of Justice and Attorney-General) 2009.

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